SmallBizSaturday:FarmstorespecializesinAlpacafleece

BETHLEHEM TWP. Far from Belden Village, Kathy Williams has opened a store in a barn that sells alpaca fleece products right by where her flock of alpacas graze.

On Small Business Saturday, Williams held an open house for her two-week-old KJ’s Alpaca Ranch in conjunction with her next-door neighbor Megan Shoenfelt, who since May has operated her own home store Honeysuckle Farm Market, which sells raspberry jam made on the premises. Both businesses are on residential properties in the 7400 block of Shepler Church Avenue SW, south of Haut Street SW, hundreds of feet east of Shepler Church.

As her granddaughter and her friend greeted visitors, Williams worked on placing alpaca dung on racks to dry so they could be made into plant manure and fertilizer.

Williams said she opened her business after her daughter two years ago closed her A.J. Alpaca Ranch in Navarre near state Route 21, which was only open during the holiday shopping season, so her daughter could focus on a full-time job. Williams took over much of her daughters’ inventory.

Read the rest of this story, view the photo gallery and watch the video at Canton Rep.